my crafty adventures

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About me

Welcome to my blog! My name is Jessica, and I'm a music professor from Kentucky. This blog details my journey into DIY style. I love to sew and knit my own clothes, and I'm a dedicated thrift store shopper! I also love fashion, so I'm attempting to marry my interests without causing myself to go bankrupt. I love bright colors, full skirts, and vintage styles. I love to answer questions, and I can be reached by email at jmills01@gmail.com.

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Vogue 8856

I always wonder how companies choose the view they will sew for the pattern envelope. In the case of Vogue 8866, they chose the simpler version (you can see it in the link above.) If I hadn’t clicked through to look at the illustrations I would have never known about this version, and I would never have bought it for the plain t-shirt view.

I loved the skirted version. Yes, ok, it looks a little like a dance costume, but so what? I love dance costumes! In fact, this particularly reminds me of a green number I wore while doing a dance to “The Sign” by Ace of Base. Yes, it was probably twice as dorky as you are imagining in your head.

I was worried about sewing this up because of all the sharp angles. Usually those are a pain to sew, but not here! I was really impressed with the drafting. Everything fit together perfectly, which is not always the case! If you’ve never sewn something like this before the instructions might be a little vague (I think there were places that needed to be cut to the corner that were not listed in the instructions, but I’ve made enough of these to do it automatically.)

I think the style is very flattering. It’s long enough to wear with leggings, almost long enough to be a minidress (I did not add any length to this one!) I’m not really an enormous fan of cut on cowl necklines because I think they make me look a little top heavy, and this is no exception, but I still really like it. If I made it again I would turn the cowl into a boatneck, because that’s a better neckline when you (like me) have little difference in size between your bust and waist

Let’s talk fabric choice: I actually think this would be nicer in a more stable knit. I used a medium weight bamboo jersey because it’s what I had, and I didn’t want to buy any new knits before using some up. Bamboo jersey is heavy and stretchy. I stabilized the shoulder seams, but it does still stretch out (especially in the back – the skirt is heavy!) I think a ponte would work, or an interlock. On the right hand side you can see the waist of my leggings through the knit, which is one of my pet peeves. I will have to think carefully on what I wear underneath.

I did not hem the skirt, which I think it best for this style. I hemmed the neckline and armholes with a baby hem, as suggested in the pattern, but I think a bound finish might help to stabilize those edges even further (clear elastic can only do so much!)

I’m on a roll with tops – I have one more to complete this week! I’m trying to get in my summer sewing this month, because I know when classes start in June I will have less time.

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14 thoughts on “Vogue 8856”

I don’t think it’s too costume-y at all! It looks great on you, and I love the ruffle! Good for you for looking at the other views; I NEVER would have gotten past the awful purple version they chose for the pattern photo.

That looks great! I`m wondering if it would do wonders for my hips, though, or horrors. And how awful it would be to sew a perfectly fitted dress, only to find it doesn`t work on you! What do you think: good, or bad, for curvy hourglass girls?